John Archibald Maharg (February 2, 1872 – November 23, 1944) was a

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada. It is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and to the south by the ...

politician. Born in

Orangeville, Ontario Orangeville (Canada 2021 Census population of 30,167) is a town in south-central Ontario, Canada, and the seat of Dufferin County. History The first patent of land was issued to Ezekiel Benson, a land surveyor, on August 7, 1820. That was fol ...

, Maharg moved west and settled near

Moose Jaw Moose Jaw is the List of cities in Saskatchewan, fourth largest city in Saskatchewan, Canada. Lying on the Moose Jaw River in the south-central part of the province, it is situated on the Trans-Canada Highway, west of Regina, Saskatchewan, Re ...

in 1890 where he became a grain farmer and cattle breeder. He helped organize the

Saskatchewan Grain Growers Association The Saskatchewan Grain Growers' Association (SGGA) was a farmer's association that was active in Saskatchewan, Canada in the early 20th century. It was a successor to the Territorial Grain Growers' Association, and was formed in 1906 after Saskatch ...

becoming its first president from 1910 to 1923. The SGGA obtained loans from the government to build

grain elevators A grain elevator or grain terminal is a facility designed to stockpile or store grain. In the grain trade, the term "grain elevator" also describes a tower containing a bucket elevator or a pneumatic conveyor, which scoops up grain from a lowe ...

and formed the

Saskatchewan Co-operative Elevator Company The Saskatchewan Co-operative Elevator Company (SCEC) was a farmer-owned enterprise that provided grain storage and handling services to farmers in Saskatchewan, Canada between 1911 and 1926, when its assets were purchased by the Saskatchewan Whe ...

with Maharg as founding president. He also served as president of the Canadian Council of Agriculture from 1915 to 1917.Dale-Burnett, Lisa, "Maharg, John Archibald (1872– 1944)", ''Encyclopedia of Saskatchewan''.
/ref> Maharg entered politics and was elected as the Member of Parliament representing Maple Creek in the

House of Commons of Canada The House of Commons of Canada () is the lower house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Monarchy of Canada#Parliament (King-in-Parliament), Crown and the Senate of Canada, they comprise the Bicameralism, bicameral legislature of Ca ...

as a Unionist. In 1919 he

crossed the floor In some parliamentary systems (e.g., in Canada and the United Kingdom), politicians are said to cross the floor if they formally change their political affiliation to a political party different from the one they were initially elected under. I ...

to join

Thomas Crerar Thomas Alexander Crerar (17 June 1876 – 11 April 1975) was a western Canadian politician and a leader of the short-lived Progressive Party of Canada. He was born in Molesworth, Ontario, and moved to Manitoba at a young age. Early career C ...

and other MPs to form the populist

Progressive Party of Canada The Progressive Party of Canada, formally the National Progressive Party, was a federal-level political party in Canada in the 1920s until 1930. It was linked with the provincial United Farmers parties in several provinces, and it spawned the ...

.Coneghan, Damian, "Progressive Party", ''Encyclopedia of Saskatchewan''.
/ref> In 1921, Meharg was recruited by

Premier Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier. A premier will normally be a head of govern ...

William Melville Martin William Melville Martin (August 23, 1876 – June 22, 1970) served as the second premier of Saskatchewan from 1916 to 1922. In 1916, although not a member of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan, Martin was elected leader of the Saskatch ...

to join the Liberal government of Saskatchewan as Minister of Agriculture. He did not join the Liberal Party, however, and was elected to the

Saskatchewan legislature The Saskatchewan Legislature is made of two elements: the lieutenant governor as representative of the King of Canada, and the unicameral assembly called the Legislative Assembly. The legislature has existed since Saskatchewan was formed out of ...

as an Independent in the 1921 general election for the district of

Morse Morse may refer to: People * Morse (surname) * Morse Goodman (1917-1993), Anglican Bishop of Calgary, Canada * Morse Robb (1902–1992), Canadian inventor and entrepreneur Geography Antarctica * Cape Morse, Wilkes Land * Mount Morse, Churchi ...

. A political crisis developed when Premier Martin campaigned for the federal

Liberal Party of Canada The Liberal Party of Canada (LPC; , ) is a federal political party in Canada. The party espouses the principles of liberalism,McCall, Christina; Stephen Clarkson"Liberal Party". ''The Canadian Encyclopedia''. and generally sits at the Centrism, ...

against a Progressive candidate in Regina, thus angering the Saskatchewan Grain Growers Association which had backed the Progressive candidate. Martin declared his opposition to a number of Progressive policies during the campaign leading Maharg, a Progressive supporter, to declare that the Premier had acted in bad faith and resign from

Cabinet Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to: Furniture * Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers * Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets * Filin ...

in protest.Regehr, Ted, "Martin, William Melville (1876–1970)", ''Encyclopedia of Saskatchewan''.
/ref> The split in the Martin Cabinet led to the Premier's resignation and his replacement by

Charles Dunning Charles Avery Dunning (July 31, 1885 – October 1, 1958) was the third premier of Saskatchewan. Born in England, he emigrated to Canada at the age of 16. By the age of 36, he was premier. He had a successful career as a farmer, business ...

. Maharg served as

Leader of the Opposition The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the Opposition (parliamentary), largest political party not in government, typical in countries utilizing the parliamentary system form of government. The leader of the ...

until leaving politics in 1924. Following his political career Maharg returned to farming and also served as the Co-operative Elevator Company's representative on the provisional board of the newly formed

Saskatchewan Wheat Pool The Saskatchewan Wheat Pool was a grain handling, agri-food processing and marketing company based in Regina, Saskatchewan. The Pool created a network of marketing alliances in North America and internationally which made it the largest agricul ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Maharg, John Archibald 1872 births 1944 deaths Farmers from Saskatchewan Unionist Party (Canada) MPs Independent MPs in the Canadian House of Commons Progressive Party of Canada MPs Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Saskatchewan Members of the Executive Council of Saskatchewan Leaders of the opposition of Saskatchewan Independent MLAs in Saskatchewan 20th-century members of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan 20th-century members of the House of Commons of Canada

See also

References

External links